Richmond’s Alex Rance an Unrestricted Free Agent at End of Season

If Alex Rance of Richmond decides to leave the AFL club when he becomes a free agent at the end of the AFL season he’ll be free to go. This is because last year’s All Australian defender isn’t among this season’s 11 restricted free agents. The official free agency list was released by the league on March 24 and there will be 67 players who are free to swap teams at the end of the 2015 campaign. Several of these players could be considered for a CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal wager this year.

The league released a preliminary list of free agents in December and some players have re-signed with their clubs since then. These include Melbourne captain Nathan Jones as well as North Melbourne skipper Andrew Swallow, who should both garner a lot of attention this year with punters on their CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal bets. However, Rance said he didn’t want to enter contract negotiation talks since he wanted to focus on preparing himself for the upcoming home and away campaign.

It’s believed that Fremantle is interested in acquiring the 25-year-old Rance’s services at the end of the season and there will likely be several other clubs who are in the same boat. Richmond’s head coach Damien Hardwick admitted there will be a lot of interest in his team’s key defender, but his club is powerless when it comes to stopping him from signing with somebody else. A CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal wager is an ideal way to back your favourite player this year.

Hardwick recently told the media,

“Alex is obviously a very important player for us. We’re pretty happy with where we sit with those at the moment. Football manager Dan Richardson and his squad are doing a very good job in that area, just trying to make sure we get signatures on. We’re very lucky that Dustin Martin’s committed long-term, Trent Cotchin the same, so we’re confident.” Cotchin and Martin are two more Richmond players who can be backed in 2015 on a CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal bet. Hardwick added, “Whether he’s restricted or unrestricted, it doesn’t change how the club approaches his contract. We understand Alex is very happy at Richmond.”

Some of this year’s top restricted free agents include Jack Steven, Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Selwood and Tom Hawkins, who are all popular players with fans when it comes to a CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal wager. Melbourne will also have the opportunity to match any offers that Colin Garland receives from rival clubs. Essendon’s Brent Stanton and Crows’ midfielder Richard Douglas are also listed as unrestricted free agents this year. Geelong leads the way with eight free agents with Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Essendon having six each. Brisbane, Port Adelaide and Melbourne have a pair each while Collingwood has just one. Fans and bettors can wager on their picks with a CrownBet AFL Brownlow Medal wager.